Death in the Time of Ice (16 page)

What are you plotting, young Jeek?

The shrewdness and accuracy of Cabat’s question made his breath catch. His thoughts whirled and muddied.
Plotting? No, no plot, no plan. I just want, I just want to speak with Enga Dancing Flower.

Cabat narrowed his eyes.
What about?

I told you.
Jeek spun away and went to sit by the fire. He watched until time to go to sleep, but Cabat did not get far enough away from Enga’s wipiti for him to approach it.

* * *

The males heard another fearsome roar, then a beast’s head appeared at the top of the hill above the desecrated graves.

Bahg Swiftfeet’s knees gave way. He caught himself with his hands before he hit the ground. He, Tog Flint Shaper, and Donik Tree Trunk, halfway down the hill, had not yet reached Teek Pathfinder, who stood in the middle of the dug-up graveyard at the bottom of the hill, holding the bone he’d discovered. Teek was nearest the bear cub, but had not yet seen it. He was too busy gaping at the huge mother bear.

Bahg knew that animals sometimes seemed to intercept thoughts and he did not want to send one to Teek. He also did not want to panic the boy.

So he crouched, rooted to the spot, as the fearsome beast crested the hill, slowly revealing her massive body. She reared up on her long hind legs to a height greater than that of two large Hamapa males, stacked up. Her mighty roar stood his every hair on end. Her stout curving fangs dripped with saliva and she waved enormous, sharp claws in the air, then thumped down onto all fours.

This propelled Bahg. He shot toward Teek, to protect him, but saw that even he, with his swift gait, would not reach Teek in time. He skidded to a halt. The mother bear pounded toward her cub. The other two males on the hill knelt and cowered in the tall grass. There was no way they could outrun the bear and there were no trees to climb. The three sent their dark despair to Teek and tried to send him strength. Teek now saw the cub and stood immobile between the two bears.

Bahg sent a frantic message,
Drop, curl up, play dead!
Teek threw the bone he was holding at the bear. He dove for the ground.

She reached him before he made it.

She swatted, hooking a claw into one of his arms.

Teek spun to the dirt, screamed, clutched his wounded arm with the other hand.

In less than a blink she was beside him. She swatted again.

Teek flew into the air.

Bahg felt the jolt through his feet when he landed.

Teek curled himself into a tight ball. The she-bear came at him again, batted him, then sat back. He rolled across the littered graveyard, bumping over the mounds of dirt and the piles of dug-up bones.

It grew quiet. The three males on the hillside held their breath, afraid she would hear them if they drew any air.

The wind current brought her stench of rank, damp fur to them. Bahg opened his mouth to keep from gagging on the smell. Then he could taste the odor on his tongue.

The mother animal ambled over to where young Teek lay, unmoving, utterly still. His blond-brown streaked hair had come loose and hid his face. She loomed over him on her hind legs and roared.

Then she dropped down and raked the claws of one paw down his back, cutting deep furrows through his mammoth skin cape. The groves immediately filled with blood.

Bahg absorbed Teek’s pain, but took in his bravery, too.
Don’t move. Stay still,
thought-spoke Bahg. Teek lay limp and motionless, barely breathing, even through his pain. Bahg could feel Teek clinging to the hopeful, almost prayerful, thoughts Bahg and the others were sending.

The bear sniffed, curling her lip, snorting with moist, slurpy sounds. The breeze swirled through the valley and lifted Teek’s hair, ruffled the bear’s fur. Then she batted him with her powerful front paw one last time, rolling him over again.

Still, Teek did not flinch. Neither did the three on the hill. Bahg held his mouth open and breathed shallowly, silently. He heard a roaring in his head like a waterfall.

The mother bear took one more deep whiff of Teek, nudged him with her snout, then ambled away the way she had come, the baby scooting along behind her.

The Hamapa males maintained their still, silent positions for a long time after the bears left, in case they came back.

Chapter 12

The giant beaver was the size of a large black bear and weighed 330 to 440 pounds (150 to 200 kilograms). It measured at least 9 feet (3 meters) long and stood about 3 feet (1 meter) tall at the shoulder. In comparison, the modern beaver measures up to 3.5 feet (more than 1 meter) long and weighs from 20 to 86 pounds (9 to 39 kilograms).

—Ice Age Mammals of North America: A Guide to the Big, the Hairy, and the Bizarre
, Ian M. Lange, p. 120

Young Jeek plodded home at the end of the evening and lay down in his empty wipiti to sleep. He would have to confer with Enga Dancing Flower about Doon and Kung later.

Resisting Hama’s undesirable idea of a beaver hunt, he tossed and turned for a long time. His bearskin felt hard and scratchy that night. But he knew her order must be carried out. They would have the hunt. No matter what the Most High Male said, Hamapas would never eat the meat. He could tell that much from stray thoughts during the meeting. Such a waste of time and energy, Jeek thought, carefully guarding his mind with midnight-purple hues.

His birth mother, Zhoo of Still Waters, finally came to the wipiti, but only for a short time since she must keep tending the injuries of Fee Long Thrower and the baby.

Do not be alarmed
, she told Jeek.
But I have received a message from Roh Lion Hunter about your brother, Teek.

Jeek sat up.
What of Teek? Is there danger to him?

Zhoo closed her eyes and two tears squeezed out. Her lips trembled and she nodded her head.
Yes. He is in danger. I want to tell you before the others do. I experienced it at the time but did not know what it was. The attack on Fee Long Thrower happened at the same time and I was not able to sort it out right away. The mate of Roh Lion Hunter, Donik Tree Trunk, sent her a message telling her that Teek was attacked by a bear today. The males are bringing him home as quickly as they can. He is alive. Now I must return to tend the two injured Hamapa.

Jeek did not get much sleep that night.

* * *

The adults knew where the huge beaver dam was, near the swampy area in the direction of the rising sun, but away from the direction of the Guiding Bear of Mother Sky. The whole tribe now realized that neither Fee Long Thrower nor the baby was dead, despite the message of Doon. But Fee did not awaken and the baby’s hand was mangled badly. It might happen that Zhoo of Still Waters could not fix it. She had treated it and bandaged it heavily with the inside of a soft rabbit skin.

Now, the next morning, Enga Dancing Flower and Roh Lion Hunter led the way to the dam with the girl children, Gunda and her two younger sisters, following. The youth also came, Kung, Mootak, and Doon, plus Akkal. Jeek had begged and pleaded until he, too, was allowed to go along, but Hama told him to go last and not get in harm’s way.

I know I am younger than the others here, but Mootak has only seen twelve summers, one more than I have.
Jeek scowled, stung with resentment. He saw there was no way he was going to be able to confer with Enga about his suspicions of Doon, Kung, and maybe even Cabat the Thick.

As they had left the village, filing past the elders who wished them good fortune, Cabat had thought-whispered with Hama, who had then made it clear to Enga that Kung was to be given a good position in the hunt. Cabat’s whisper was not very private, nor Hama’s instruction.

The five females carried spears; the five males brought large pieces of skin, in which to bring back the raw pelt of the beaver. The windy breath of Mother Sky, a constant for so many suns now, was still and Sister Sun gave them just a bit of warmth on their way through the woods.

Roh must be feeling much better, thought Jeek. She seemed to be completely recovered from the loss of her baby. He was glad of that. He liked Roh, and not just because she was Gunda’s mother. Roh was an easy female to be around, sweet and caring. And not at all like Hama.

He was glad of the recovery of Ung Strong Arm also. She had walked unaided to Lakala Rippling Water’s wipiti to spend the day there while Enga was away on the hunt.

But there was much he was not glad of. The favoritism to be given to Kung was not the custom of the Hamapa. There was something rotten in the leadership.

His other concern was personal and had nothing to do with the good of the tribe. It was petty of him, and he kicked at the mud clods on the path with the thought, but he wanted to carry a spear. He knew he threw it better than Gunda. And she was the oldest of the girls. On the other hand, he did not think the beaver should be speared. He thought the plan to hunt the beaver was not a good one. The animal could easily escape and hide inside his lodge or just under the water. Even if he were injured or killed he would go there. How would they retrieve such a huge body from those places? They needed a better plan.

Gunda fell back to walk beside Jeek. He took joy in the thrill her slim body made him feel and in her lustrous fiery hair, tamed into braids today. In just few years she would be a fine-looking adult. Her soft green eyes sought his.

Jeek, I want you to know how sorry I am about your birth brother, Teek Pathfinder. Maybe he was not injured too badly. He is still alive, at least.

The males had not sent any thought-pictures of Teek, which Jeek desperately wanted. Jeek took her hand and pressed it.

I am happy to receive your good thoughts. I cannot get him out of my mind, even though I do not know what he looks like right now, or how he is feeling.
It was kind of her to express her feelings this way. But he wondered if she still thought he was a jerk for bragging about his spear throwing.

Just now I overheard you. About the beaver. Others are also complaining about the decision to hunt the beaver, you know. But Hama does not think it necessary to bring anything back. If we merely slay the beaver we will prevent future attacks and we will have more fish. It could be that her idea is good.

Jeek sent her a picture of the inside of the beaver lodge as he imagined it. It held many giant beavers.

Gunda took a moment to think about that.
So you think there are many?

There has to be more than just one.

Then we will have to slay the largest one,
thought-spoke Gunda. She gave Jeek a look of impatience and ran back to walk beside Enga Dancing Flower, giving Kung a smile on her way. Did she think Kung would be better at slaying the beaver than he would be? Jeek was by far the braver of the two. He knew that. Some day Gunda would see it. And, besides, what good would it do to slay just one beaver?

The trees had thinned during their journey and were now scarce. The marshy land, the kind preferred by the beavers, made them tread with care, finding hillocks and stretches of dry earth to walk on. Sister Sun shone warmer here. They progressed toward a line of trees that indicated water.

Jeek still kept to himself the feeling that there had not been a beaver attack. It was possible he was wrong and Doon did see it. If so, if there really had been a beaver attack, Doon had foretold it. Or at least thought about it before it happened. Jeek kicked at the dirt harder. He hated all this confusion. He bit down hard on a strand of his hair.

A thought-shout sounded in his head. They were at the beaver dam and all were to be quiet. A cautious statement came from Enga.
Now we must decide how to proceed. Shall we try to draw them out of their dwelling?

Jeek and the others hunched down and crept ahead until they could see the pile of twigs and saplings, looming larger than a Hamapa house. The beaver lodge stood in a small lake created by the nearby dam, which bridged a narrow spot of the water.

On the other side of a boggy area below the dam, Jeek caught a glimpse of a black snout before it ducked under the water. Was that the beaver? He held his eyes so wide they felt dry, hoping to get another sighting. He had never seen a beaver before, just projections from other people’s minds.

The air, still and stale, smelling of rotting vegetation, drifted from the surrounding swampland. Jeek wrinkled his nose and strained to look through the murky water for another glimpse of a beaver.

But he had missed some thoughts. He’d better pay attention to what Enga was conveying.
The idea of Gunda is a good one. We shall surround the dwelling of the beaver.

Wait!
Jeek could hold his thoughts no longer.
It would be better to trap the beaver, not try to spear it.

The others laughed and he heard scraps of phrases:
stupid idea, how could a trap be that big, who could build it, how long
…

Jeek’s cheeks burned.
I could build it,
he countered, not knowing how he would.
Give me a period of two suns and I can trap the beaver.

Enga smiled and soothed him with a wave of softly colored thought.
We will attempt to spear it today. If we fail, you may build a trap, Jeek. For now, stay back.

This was a small consolation, but at least Enga was pretending to take him seriously. He was grateful for that.

Then he saw it.

The creature climbed the bank to the wooded land on the other side of the swamp, revealing an expanse of wet, glossy fur as it pulled itself up with large, but delicate-looking, clawed feet, webbed between the toes. Its length was that of one and one half Hamapa males. The mental pictures he had seen had given him an idea of its size, but he hadn’t quite imagined it this large. Its long tail was dark skin, having no fur.